ABRAHAM Lincoln once famously talked of the impossibility of fooling all the people all the time. That is exactly how we feel about the proposed merger of Warndon Infants and Juniors.

Worcestershire County Council insists that amalgamation would be better for children's education.

The council's cabinet will vote to consult on a merger on Monday. This newspaper's advice is to think very, very carefully indeed.

First of all, no one is fooled by this line about better schooling. Restructuring is always primarily about cutting costs.

And the council needs to come clean. What exactly are the budgetary considerations behind this plan - and have potential savings entered the debate?

Second, although the question of class sizes does not seem to be in the public domain at the moment, would a merger involve such an issue?

The official line seems to pose more questions than are answered.

However, certain facts remain. When responsible parents choose schools for their children, the quality of teaching is uppermost in their minds.

If this were not the case, very rich people would not plump for privatre education where the focus tends to lean towards individual tuition.

But most mums and dads do not enjoy such privileges. They must rely on state education to fulfil all their children's needs.

So our message to the council is this. Listen to the Warndon parents. Size isn't everything.